The Gray Man Ch. 06 - Rebecca

Dear Reader,

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, events and incidents are the products of the author's imagination.

Constructive criticism, and feedback is truly appreciated. I would like this to be an interactive journey as much as this medium allows. Please feel free to send suggestions, ideas for future characters etc. I welcome the input.

Also, if you'd like a character to inquire about Gray's services send me a description and we can work from there.

This chapter has some very rough elements including torture, orgasm denial, and forced orgasm. I feel it's appropriate to include a Trigger Warning for this chapter. PLEASE DO NOT READ if you are triggered by aggressive sexual torment and torture.

Keep Soaring,

Pelican

(¬‿¬)

When Saturday morning arrived TJ arrived at the rink at 5:30 while waiting for Kim to bring her son Brendan to a 6 AM practice for the Icebirds. Gray watched the scene unfold which brought back memories of his own childhood. Car's pulled up, children piled out with their bags while parents drove away to the nearest coffee shop before returning to the rink and trudged through the slushy parking lot to find a bit of warmth inside.

This scene played out time and time again at rinks all over the country. He smiled as he remembered the early morning trips to Farmington Hills for practice. He had played for Honeybaked Ham - Detroit all the way through highschool. A Tier 1 youth hockey program. Gray had been a goalie, had a couple of offers to play juniors or at a small college but had come to the realization that the talent gap between where he was and what it would take to make hockey a career wouldn't be closed with more practice or training. Quite simply, he had peaked and the limits of his athletic ability would not be improved no matter how many more times he played or how much work he put in. Genetics had a limit.

He spotted Kim sitting at one of the hexagonal tables scattered around the rink. The boys were making their way from the locker room to the ice as the mom sipped her coffee. Gray knew that practice would run about 90 minutes so he was in no hurry to approach. Lingering at the other end of the ice would allow him to watch, this would have been another place where a quick drop could happen and folks would not be aware of anything as they watched their children. Hockey parents were something else that didn't change whether in Detroit, DC or Toronto. You had hockey moms that thought that their kid should play huge minutes because they paid huge money. There were hockey dads that tried to recapture their lost glory by living vicariously through their kid. There were parents who adopted the team as their surrogates. There were those that weren't sure how they had gotten to this place.

Gray noticed that Kim sipped her Dunkin. It amazed him how you could learn about folks from their coffee. Near the rink there was a Starbucks, a Tim Hortons, and a Dunkin. As he looked around the rink he saw coffee from each, and a couple of folks with an old fashioned thermos filled with coffee - with maybe a hint of Irish Whisky mixed in.

TJ did what he did he watched. The chatty moms, the dads who were going to 'coach' once their son was back in the car. Then there was Kim. She wasn't standoffish - she didn't avoid people. She spoke, she was polite, but she very much kept to herself. For Gray this could be good or very very bad when he approached her. He needed to play his cards right or things may blow up in a spectacular fashion.

Friendly, not flirtatious. Direct - not overpowering. Truthful - yet reserving his trump cards. The chaos in his brain fired warning shots that were more like the finale of a 4th of July fireworks show. A very bad anniversary loomed just around the corner and as much as we try to embrace them or completely forget them - traumatic anniversaries fuck with a psyche that is already fucked with Post Traumatic issues.

As he began the walk around the rink he fought to keep past reality away from the current reality. He wasn't in a mountain village on a cold winter day - he was at an ice rink in northern Virginia. The smell wasn't roast lamb and spice on the wind - it was sweaty hockey players and parents' coffee. The sounds weren't Toyota Hilux trucks with mounted machine guns and the voices of skilled warfighters - it was skate blades, pucks, chatter, and the whistles of coaches as the players moved from drill to drill.

TJ made his way around the endboards, keeping one eye on Kim and the other on the players on the ice. He had his own double-double from Tim Hortons in hand as he made his way to the table where Kim sat watching Brendon slide left and right in the goal crease keeping pucks out of the net.

TJ didn't ask to sit, he just took one of the empty seats around the table like any other parent would do at the rink. It was easy for Gray to pick out Brendon as Kim's mouth moved left or right with each push and slide that he made in the net. After a couple of nice blocker saves and a quick glove hand catch TJ commented, "He's good."

Kim smiled, "Thank you. He's worked hard. Hopefully the hard work pays off and he gets called to the U14 Tier 1 Team."

Most youth hockey programs have In House teams, travel teams, Tier 2 teams, then Tier 1 teams. The goal was to make it to the Tier 1 team - the top tier of US Youth hockey. The next step is college or juniors unless you were that elite talent that got drafted by the NHL. IN most of the larger programs those levels were also broken down by age 8 and under - 10 and under etc.

As the practice moved on TJ finally turned to look at Brendan's mom. "Kim, do you always drive over an hour to the grocery store?"

The petite blonde thought that she had kept her composure, but that instant of panic caused her pupils to dilate was all the tell that someone as experienced as TJ needed in that moment. "Do I know you?" she asked after sipping her coffee due to the instant dryness in her mouth.

TJ shook his head, "No ma'am you don't, but I do know you." TJ went on to give her an address, her workplace, and Saturday trip to a grocery store an hour away. Kim tried hard to not let anxiety skyrocket but it was difficult for her to not panic as she felt like she had stepped into a cave and disturbed a hibernating bear that was suddenly very hungry.

TJ smiled a calm and gentle smile before he said, "I know that you want to scream, accuse me of harassing you and having other parents run to your rescue. Trust me when I tell you that's not a good idea. You want the least amount of attention drawn to you as you can right now. Nobody else in this place knows anything. Nobody at your workplace knows anything. There are only a few of us who know anything, and trust me when I tell you, we know everything. I am your only friend at the moment."

The housewife looked at Gray, "I need to take a walk."

TJ lightly grabbed her wrist, "No you don't. You need to sit here and listen. On Thursday you will have lunch at the Cuban restaurant just around the corner from your parking garage. I will be there at 11:45 AM - if you are not there or if you communicate with anyone about the meeting then I won't be able to stop regular meals for you being Cuban."

Gray stood, smiled, then bent to whisper in her ear. "This isn't simple tax evasion and your last name isn't Chrisley. A trip to Club Fed isn't what happens to those who commit espionage against the United States. Maybe, you'll enjoy some time at Guantanamo Bay, or maybe you'll be given to Russia in an exchange." Gray turned to look at Brendan, "Maybe he'd be okay in Moscow, hockey is an international language." WIth that, TJ turned and left the rink as the terrified housewife walked to the bathroom and threw up her coffee.

TJ walked to his car feeling like a bit of a douche. He hated to threaten someone like Kim, but it was the only way that she would understand just how hot the water she was in was going to become. Agencies like the one that Sharpshooter was with didn't do things in a dainty way. There would be more agents than a person could count, along with state and local law enforcement dressed head to toe in full battle rattle, kicking in doors at 6 AM, dragging people out of bed while they searched the house from top to bottom, while at the same time executing a search warrant on every bank account, credit card, and places of employment of everyone in the household and extended family.

As TJ drove back to the apartment he was conflicted. Underwood was right, he fucking loved the game - but at the same time he hated the damn game. Between Sharpshooter, Kim, and the fed he was going to meet with he felt himself being dragged back into the middle of the arena. He was disappointed he wasn't kicking and screaming, just mildly protesting his inconvenience.

TJ called his cousin on the way back into town from the rink and invited her to breakfast. She deserved some answers and a bit of a heads up about his current state of mental health. Gray needed to also be very clear about his meeting with Rebecca and his guidelines to even have an initial meeting.

Gretchen wanted to eat at someplace a bit more upscale and TJ wanted Cracker Barrel. Well, he really wanted to go to Waffle House but the image of Gretchen walking into a Waffle House was not something the world was ready for.

As he waited in the parking lot for his cousin, he called Sharpshooter and gave him the heads up and took some time to brainstorm some logistics. Gray hung up when Gretchen pulled into the parking lot and TJ got out of his car she almost rolled her eyes. Looking at her cousin in jeans, a flannel shirt, boots and a stocking Detroit Red Wings toque she understood why the buffet at the Westin was not going to happen. She smiled at her cousin, "You've become a rink rat again, haven't you?"

TJ smiled, "Not quite, but there is still that potential."

During breakfast the cousins talked about the evening with Ariana which Gretchen discovered was getting more difficult to hear with each woman who had their contract completed. She couldn't complain about the money aspect of things, though she didn't really need more money - but the thought of what Gray was doing was difficult. As was the fact that these women were getting fucked by his huge cock while she was at home with a vibrator and bottle of wine kind of sucked.

TJ still wasn't going to tell her anything about Kim or Underwood for that matter. He wasn't sure what types of cases she had worked on in her life, what her security clearance was or if she even had one. Plus, this was a national security issue and DC was a town that sucked at keeping secrets, and as Leroy Jethro Gibbs had once said, "Rule #4: Best way to keep a secret: Keep it to yourself. Second best: Tell one other person--if you must. There is no third best."

Conversation finally came to the next person on their prospect list. Gretchen smiled, "So, you will meet with Rebecca?"

Gray nodded, "I am going to be very specific because this shit could go sideways in a hurry and nobody needs that. Me, you, her. We need to meet someplace private, but not necessarily someplace that can be traced to you. We need to meet somewhere where three people would not look suspicious."

Gretchen smiled, "The Watergate."

Gray rolled his eyes, "Oh, that's ironic. No, not a hotel room. Those are reserved for the completion of a contract, not contract negotiation."

Again his cousin smiled, "No, next to the Whisky Bar, on the patio the Watergate has private igloos that you can rent. Late seating is only around $150 on a weeknight."

TJ nodded, "Let's shoot for Thursday night, if things work out I will need a week to get things put together."

TJ enjoyed his breakfast. Eggs, Bacon, Pancakes and Rye Toast. Good old fashioned comfort food on the cold February morning was just what the doctor ordered - well that and enough coffee to float a ship from drydock.

When Gray walked into Cafe Cubano on Thursday he saw Underwood and a female agent sitting at a table conveniently with an open table right next to them. He smiled as his friend's eyes scanned the room, a habit that even in the civilian world Gray had never lost. Gray's H&K was worn on his ankle in a holster, he knew that Sharpshooter would be carrying somewhere on his body, as would his partner. Out of habit TJ sat with his back to the wall, able to see everyone's movement in, out, and around the cafe.

The female agent nodded as TJ took a seat. She had heard about the elusive Ghost but this was the first time she had seen him. Gray opened the menu like any other diner and waited to see if his talk with Kim had paid off. He figured there was a 50% chance she would show up, 25% chance she would flee, 15% that she would report him to her handler, and the other 10% would be a scandalous headline involving self harm. He didn't have to wait or wonder for very long as the petite blonde walked into the restaurant, saw Gray and walked to the table. She looked scared to death, TJ had guessed that she hadn't slept very well the past few days.

When the waitress came TJ ordered the Taste of Havana plate which came with ropa vieja, mojo chicken, and lechon asado with a side of congri and plantain Kim shook her head, "I don't have an appetite," she whispered.

TJ smiled at the waitress, "She's been through a bit of a shock and needs to eat. That's why I ordered enough to feed a small army." As Kim looked at TJ she was fighting the urge to run from the restaurant crying.

Underwood and the other agent watched as TJ spoke to Kim. The female had been instructed to listen, but also to watch and learn, that there were few in the world better at what he did than Mr. Gray.

As the agent watched she saw the interaction, the gentle empathy in his eyes, the soft smile. Many would be harsh and brutal in the negotiation, but she watched TJ look like he was walking with a friend. As she glanced at Kim she could watch her body relax, from stiff and distant, the young woman began to lean in, her shoulders softened. She would later write in her notes that as they talked it appeared like Kim and Gray were the only two people in the room.

Kim looked across the table and the man who had caught her, "How.. how.." she couldn't even find the words.

TJ leaned forward on his elbows, his green eyes softly held Kim's hazel eyes, "Not important, but some of it was just doing what I do. What is important is what happens next, and that decision is completely up to you."

Kim sighed, "My husband was in the hospital for almost a year with Covid, the bills, the kids..."

TJ again smiled, "Kim, the why isn't even important now, the what happens next is the most important. How you can clean up a very big mess, how Brendan and Erin can grow up with their mom at home. How can you keep yourself from going to Aliceville or worse?"

The young blonde lowered her gaze to the plate of food in front of her.

TJ's voice was gentle but firm, "Look at me. Right now I am your only friend, I am your Superman and you are Lois Lane and some very angry people can make your life and the lives of your children very difficult. Joan and Melvin seeing their daughter marched out of a courtroom in handcuffs when you are found guilty of espionage would be horrible. Right now, the only person standing between you, arrest, and prison is me."

Her eyes stayed on his, "Is John well enough to care for Brendan and Erin? Because there is no way that you are going to get issued bond, too big of a flight risk. At best you will be looking at a very long time in prison, at worst, like I said at the rink, you would be exchanged for a spy and trust me, once Putin has what he needs from you then you become expendable."

"They.. they will kill me," she whispered, her voice cracking.

Gray smiled softly, "Remember, those very angry people I talked about? They aren't angry at you, just at what you have done. They truly understand the difference between friend and foe." He waited until her eyes returned to his, "Kim, you can make this right, you just need to do the same thing you did a few weeks ago, slip a thumb drive underneath a fruit display and have the courier pick it up. By the time they know that we know, you, your husband, and your kids will be safe. I promise."

"What do I do now?" she asked.

TJ smiled, "Eat some lunch, then when I pay the bill go to the bathroom before you go back to work. Inside the restroom a woman will exit the stall, she will have left a drive just inside the toilet paper dispenser. Take the drive, do not open it or explore its contents. Make contact with your courier and set up an exchange. I will be at practice on Saturday and you can let me know where things stand."

Kim sat almost frozen. TJ gently reached out and touched her hand, causing her to almost recoil until she looked into his eyes and saw empathy. He smiled softly, "This is your chance to undo the damage, to be the heroine instead of the villain. Just like you've done before. You can do this, I'll see you in a couple of days and I will be in the store when you make the drop. Now, go to the bathroom, then head back to the office just like a normal day."

Kim stood, TJ stood as she did, stepped towards her and hugged her just in case there were other eyes watching her, "It's been good to see you, tell Brendan I said I'd see him Saturday morning and to work on that push off the post and keeping his blade on the ice with his glove ready. I'll email him that video tonight so that he can watch it before practice."

Gray paid the bill and slipped out of the restaurant without glancing at Sharpshooter and his partner. He walked to his car by a very indirect route, glancing in the windows of businesses and parked cars to make sure that he wasn't followed. His drive home also involved a very indirect route, checking his mirrors regularly to make sure that he wasn't followed. As he climbed out of his Cadillac he felt more alive than he had in months. Underwood was right, "He fucking loved the game."

That evening dinner was in one of the Igloos at The Watergate. It was not a good night weatherwise which suited Gray perfectly. A nice night meant more people wandering around the patio and more eyes on the dinner. The light rain and sleet beating on the igloo would have also made it difficult for any listening devices - this was the Watergate after all.

Gray arrived before his cousin and Rebecca. The two women had walked in together and arrived just after TJ's flight of American Whisky which included Elijah Craig, Redbreast, and Balcones. To the trained eye it was apparent that Rebecca was an agent. The way she walked, the way her eyes assessed everything and everyone. Her attire though wasn't a give away. She was dressed in a casual suit with a light blue satin blouse. She looked as much like an attorney from the firm as an agent to the untrained eye.

TJ stood as the women entered the igloo. Rebecca put her hand out, TJ shook it as the two took measure of one another. Gretchen ordered wine as Rebecca ordered a flight of The Watergate Manhattan. When the waitress left TJ didn't waste time, "Color me curious, but how did a federal agent find out about me and our little side hustle?"

Rebecca's eyes went to Gretchen and then to Gray. "Well, I know..."

Gretchen put her hand up, "She knows because she and I have been friends for years. We met years ago when our paths crossed at Georgetown. One evening after Nadiya, she and I were sitting in my den drinking wine when she told me about her deployment, her anxiety of what could happen, and what her friend went through. So I suggested your services."

TJ smirked as he looked at his cousin, "So, she never knew that she had been turned down, never reapplied, never found us through other channels. What? You just thought if you kept bringing it up that I'd eventually give in?"